Trump: US-Iran Ceasefire Agreement Expected to Be Signed; Japanese and South Korean Stock Markets Surge

(Central News Agency, Tokyo, 12th, Combined Foreign Reports) US President Donald Trump announced the cancellation of further military strikes against Iran and stated that an agreement to end the war between the US and Iran could be signed within the next few days. In response, Japan's Nikkei stock index rose more than 4% during the morning session on the 12th. Around 9:30 AM Tokyo time, the Nikkei 225 index was up 3.91%, briefly surpassing 4%. South Korea's KOSPI index surged 7.80% during trading. Trump's announcement also spurred gains on Wall Street on the 11th and led to a sharp drop in international oil prices. Trump stated that the content of the agreement between the US and Iran had been "sent to Iran's top leadership and approved... I was planning to bomb Iran again tonight, but now I have canceled it." He added, "The time and place for signing the agreement will be announced later." However, Iran's position remains unclear. Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei stated that Tehran "has not yet reached a final conclusion on the agreement." (Editor: Ji Jinling) 1150612